What’s the point of Hell? (souls, America, atheism, Satan)

[SergeantL]

What’s the sense of throwing someone in a lake of fire for all eternity because they did not adhere to God’s rules? In short, since God created us, why doesn’t He simply cause a person not to exist? What is to be gained from an eternal consumption by fire?

[arguy1973]

I have read and studied this abit, there are some that believe that Hell is a "holding" place until judgement, then hell and the unsaved are thrown into the lake of fire, and therefore do not exist anymore, well their souls. The devil and all his cronies get chunked into the lake of fire also. And its not about not adhering to Gods rules...its about denying his son and what he did on the cross. Broken rules can be "washed away: by the blood of Christ.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by Ivan-1

Your question about the meaning of hell, you might suppose, has been the essence of religion for thousands of years, debated over far more seriously and with quite a bit more intellectual depth than your fifteen or so words commit. If you are really interested in the subject of the eternals, consult five or six hundred books on the subject, talk with experts, write an article outlining your own sense of the subject, and then start over because better minds than yours have stumbled a lifetime over the subject. What is most clear about such a comment is the vapid and superficial approach that many Americans take to serious thoughts.

More vapid and superficial, I'm assuming, than coming onto a message board to comment on it? I love how people make indictments like this of others, while doing essentially the same thing.

By the way...welcome to the boards. Is this how you introduce yourself at every party? I'd have to think that in that case, you don't attend many.

Wait a while, get to know people and then you can be b*tchy like the rest of us.

You don't know Sergeant at all yet so to jump in and call him vapid is a little, well, superficial on your own part.

So! That's over with. Sergeant, you ask a good question. What would be the point of hell? People say it's because you're separated from God, but it's obviously a lot deeper than that, since God specifically created hell. Some will tell you it was created for Satan but since God knows all, surely he foresaw that he'd be throwing people in there.

Search back to near the beginning of this forum...the first few pages...there was a whole thread about hell. I hope people answer here too, because it really is a puzzle and something that most minds do grapple with at one time or another. As for me, well, hell seems deliberately cruel, so perhaps that's the point.

[SergeantL]

Originally Posted by JerZ

More vapid and superficial, I'm assuming, than coming onto a message board to comment on it? I love how people make indictments like this of others, while doing essentially the same thing.

By the way...welcome to the boards. Is this how you introduce yourself at every party? I'd have to think that in that case, you don't attend many.

Wait a while, get to know people and then you can be b*tchy like the rest of us.

You don't know Sergeant at all yet so to jump in and call him vapid is a little, well, superficial on your own part.

Now, now, JerZ, take a deep breath.

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by SergeantL

Now, now, JerZ, take a deep breath.

Sorry. It was my early-morning smack-down! I like to have it with my coffee.

(That IS a joke...sort of...)

[dreameyes]

LOL you guys are so funny (tried to give you reps Sarge but gotta spread em around!! This rep system is gettin kinda annoying )

[Ms.Charlotte]

Originally Posted by dreameyes

LOL you guys are so funny (tried to give you reps Sarge but gotta spread em around!! This rep system is gettin kinda annoying )

I got him covered, dreameyes! But sorry JerZ, I have to spread some around before getting back to you. Funny responses from both y'all!

[Malachi]

Originally Posted by SergeantL

What’s the sense of throwing someone in a lake of fire for all eternity because they did not adhere to God’s rules? In short, since God created us, why doesn’t He simply cause a person not to exist? What is to be gained from an eternal consumption by fire?

Ok so if you see no point to HELL then do youn see a point to jail if we dont fallow the law then we will go to jail well it's the same with GOD if you break his law and refuse to accept JESUS as lord and savior then you go to HELL.

[jabogitlu]

Actually, that doesn't seem to be a perfect parallel. Jail is designed to keep those who refuse to follow laws from the general populace. Laws (in their perfect form) are designed to keep people from committing acts that will impede on the rights and freedoms of others.

This is in a perfect system, of course.

Hell, on the other hand, seems to be deliberately cruel. If "God" loved us all unconditionally, why not just takes us all into Heaven where we'd all be good? or at the very least, just cause the Hellbound to not exist.

Or, even better, just make everything perfect right now.

Okay, sorry, got off topic a bit. But this line of thinking was the catalyst for my atheism.

[GCSTroop]

I don't understand how people can honestly believe in the Heaven/Hell theory. Hell, especially, seems so man-made that it blows my mind. Let's see, what is the worst thing I can tell someone to scare them? How about, if they aren't good they will go to this searing hot place and burn forever. Well, we are not human in hell right? We are souls, correct? So do souls have nerve endings that tell them it's hot? Do they have brains that think it's hot? What about heaven? What does a soul know about perfection? Does it have a brain to tell them how comfortable the temperature is? Does it enjoy playing Bocce at the local spirit retirement home? I don't think so. It sounds all nice and sweet on one end and so mean and nasty on the other it has the lingering stench of a human creation.